MotoGP 2022

[SKR]

There were 6 races today to wrap up the North West 200 in Northern Ireland today - Supertwin 1 and 2, Supersport 2, Superstock 2, and Superbike 1 and 2.

The day started with the first Supertwin race, and was won convincingly by Richard Cooper.

Supersport 2 was a full-on battle between Lee Johnston and Davey Todd, swapping spots several times each lap before Johnston came away with the win in the end.

Superbike 1 saw Glenn Irwin just edge out Davey Todd for his fifth NW200 Superbike win in a row.

Supertwin 2 was won again by Cooper.

Superstock 2 was won by Alastair Seeley, making 27 NW200 wins in his career.

The final race, Superbike 2, was hampered by tire issues from Dunlop. Due to tire failures in the Superbike 1 and Superstock 2 races, Dunlop advised its riders to withdraw from the race. The race went on with Irwin extending his run of Superbike wins to 6.

After the Supertwin races, Richard Cooper was disqualified for illegal modifications to his bike. The race results were amended to name Pierre-Yves Bian and Joe Loughlin the winners or race 1 and 2 respectively.

MotoGP will race at Le Mans late tonight/early in the morning.

[SKR]

Enea Bastianini won his third race of the season at Le Mans in what seems to be his typical fashion - tire conservation until 2/3 race distance, and then ride away from everyone. Jack Miller second, Aleix Espargaro third, Fabio Quartararo fourth, Johann Zarco fifth.

That Gresini Racing livery is probably the ugliest livery in all of motorsports.



Also, Cameron Beaubier couldn't quite hold onto his first podium in Moto2, but fourth is still a career best so good for him.

Next weekend:

World Superbikes at Estoril
British Superbikes at Donington Park
MotoAmerica at VIR

[shakalaka]

Thanks for providing all the updates. I don't follow the sport but I feel like I know enough about it based on your posts. Haha.

[SKR]

Thanks. I'm not sure anyone else really cares, and I'm not even sure if I do, but I'm a completionist shithead so now that I've started I have to finish.

TT is in 2 weeks. Watch it all at ttplus.iomraces.com live and on demand for $32.

[SKR]

No MotoGP this week, but lots of racing in the other series.

In World Superbikes at Estoril, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea swapped positions lap after lap until about 5 to go when Rea outbraked himself and took himself out of contention. Alvaro Bautista was able to get through to second, and then on the exit of the last corner was able to put the power down and to the line ahead of Razgatlioglu by 0.126 seconds.



I'm bored to fucking tears with WSBK. Every race except for one is some combination of Razgatlioglu, Rea and Bautista. It's good racing between those three, but it's only those three.

In British Superbikes at Donington Park, there actually was an entertaining battle for the win with Kyle Ryde, Jason O'Halloran, Bradley Ray, Lee Jackson, Rory Skinner and Glenn Irwin as contenders. In the end, O'Halloran divebombed into the last chicane to get ahead of Ryde, but Ryde got him back on the cutback and edged out the win by 0.038 seconds.



In unfortunate news, a crash in the Supersport race between David Jones and Josh Day has left Day with a significant head injury and according to a statement is in hospital in a medically induced coma.

MotoAmerica is at Virginia International Raceway this weekend, and after trouble with the bike at the start of the season, Jake Gagne has come to life and won his second straight race. He held off early pressure from Danilo Petrucci before Petrucci slipped back to fourth. Mathew Scholtz and Cam Petersen finished second and third, for a Yamaha 1-2-3.



Racing in all three series resumes Sunday.

[SKR]

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I'm bored to fucking tears with WSBK. Every race except for one is some combination of Razgatlioglu, Rea and Bautista. It's good racing between those three, but it's only those three.

This is accurate, and true of all three series this weekend (although it was more coincidence with BSB).

So, WSBK. In the shorter superpole race, Razgatliolgu led for most of it but made a mistake on the last lap and allowed Rea through to win. Bautista finished third. In the second superbike race, Rea passed Bautista on the last lap and Razgatlioglu finished third. In both races, the gap from third to fourth was 7 seconds. In all fairness it's good, competitive racing, but it's the same three guys all the time.



For as much shit as I give WSBK, you'd expect that I'd be similarly unimpressed with BSB. Yesterday's finishing order was Ryde, O'Halloran and Ray. In race 2 today, O'Halloran won, with Ray and Lee Jackson finishing second and third. In race 3, O'Halloran won, with Ray and Jackson finishing second and third. The difference is that Ryde, Skinner, Peter Hickman and Leon Haslam all figured into the win in both races at varying points. Haslam had a big highside crash in race 3 that collected Glenn Irwin. Hopefully he's not too badly injured as he is scheduled to make his highly anticipated TT debut next week.



And, for as much shit as I give WSBK, you'd expect that I'd be similarly unimpressed with MotoAmerica. Except that I expect so little from MotoAmerica. I didn't watch last season, but 2020 was dominated by Cameron Beaubier. In almost every race, by the first corner, Beaubier was gone. In 2021 Beaubier moved on to Moto2, and Jake Gagne became the man to beat. I think he won something like 17 races in a row in 2021. MotoAmerica is competitive, but it's pretty clear who's who there. The reason I watched this year is because I wanted to see how Danilo Petrucci managed. I feel like MotoAmerica is pretty insulated from the rest of the world so I wanted to see how a MotoGP rider stacked up.

Gagne took off, and by the first corner first place was pretty much decided. The race then was for second between Scholtz, Petersen and Petrucci. Petersen started to trail off on the last couple laps, but Petrucci couldn't quite catch Scholtz for second. I think MotoAmerica is a series that really suits Yamahas.



Next week MotoGP is at Mugello, and the first day of practice at the Isle of Man TT starts Sunday.

Standings:

MotoGP
1. 102 Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha)
2. 98 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia)
3. 94 Enea Bastianini (Ducati)
4. 69 Alex Rins (Suzuki)
5. 62 Jack Miller (Ducati)

World Superbike

1. 161 Alvaro Bautista (Ducati)
2. 144 Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki)
3. 109 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha)
4. 84 Andrea Locatelli (Yamaha)
5. 76 Iker Lecuona (Honda)

British Superbikes

1. 158 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)
2. 130 Jason O'Halloran (Yamaha)
3. 125 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)
4. 117 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
5. 116 Rory Skinner (Kawasaki)

MotoAmerica

1. 104 Danilo Petrucci (Ducati)
2. 100 Mathew Scholtz (Yamaha)
3. 91 Jake Gagne (Yamaha)
4. 78 Cameron Petersen (Yamaha)
5. 63 Hector Barbera (BMW)

[SKR]

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Razgatliolgu led for most of it but made a mistake

This is the "mistake". He saved this, by the way.

[SKR]

MotoGP was at Mugello Sunday for the Italian GP. With its long front straight, and 9 Ducatis in the field, I expected Ducatis to do well and one to win. I also expected the Suzukis to do well, and Yamaha and Aprilia to be in the mix. This season's dark horse favorite, Enea Bastianini, qualified poorly and crashed out. Fabio Quartararo had a great race and finished second. Aleix Espargaro finished third. This season's underachieving favorite, Francesco Bagnaia, leveraged his factory Ducati's power to win. Both Suzukis crashed out. Marc Marquez finished 10th in what might be his last GP, after yet another crash this weekend has led to him requiring potentially season- or career-ending surgery.



MotoGP Standings

1. 122 Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha)
2. 114 Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia)
3. 94 Enea Bastianini (Ducati)
4. 81 Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
5. 75 Johann Zarco (Ducati)

[SKR]

Also this weekend, Isle of Man TT qualifying began today. In the Superbike class, Davey Todd set the fastest lap at 127.492mph. Peter Hickman led Superstock at 126.490mph. Michael Dunlop led Supersport at 124.103mph. Jamie Coward led Supertwin at 117.573mph. Pete Founds and Jevan Walmsley led the Sidecars at 112.426mph. Newcomer Glenn Irwin was 13th in Superbike at 122.616mph and 14th in Superstock at 121.535mph. Qualifying/practice continues every day this week until Friday, and races every other day starting Saturday.

Normally I post pictures of the riders mentioned, but TT coverage is hard to find.


Dean Harrison


James Hillier


Glenn Irwin


Davey Todd


Ben and Tom Birchall

[SKR]

Day 2 of practice at the Isle of Man TT today. Peter Hickman was the first to cross the 130mph barrier, topping the Superbike leaderboard with a lap of 130.719mph. Davey Todd led the Superstock class with a lap of 129.583mph. Hickman also led the Supersport class at 122.324mph.

Within a few minutes of each other, Michael Sweeney crashed at the 11th Milestone, Ilja Caljouw crashed at the 27th Milestone, and Sam West crashed at Laurel Bank. As far as I'm able to understand, all three had to be helicoptered to hospital but all three are alright. The session was red flagged after West's crash and the Sidecars were cancelled for the evening.

Practice will resume tomorrow.


Peter Hickman

[SKR]

Day 3 of practice at the TT.

I think all three riders from yesterday are okay.

Dean Harrison set the fastest lap of the week so far on his Superbike at 131.767mph, followed closely by Davey Todd at 131.655mph. Peter Hickman was the first Superstock into the 130s at 130.695mph. Michael Dunlop leads Supersport at 125.938mph. Jamie Coward ran a 119.775mph lap to lead Supertwins. Ben and Tom Birchall led the shortened Sidecar practice with a 115.663mph lap.

The Supersport/Supertwin session was red flagged after Dave Moffitt crashed at Laurel Bank and had to be airlifted to hospital.


John McGuinness

[SKR]

Day 4 of practice at the Isle of Man TT.

Peter Hickman posted the fastest lap of the week so far at 131.957mph.

A bit more of a subdued update today as Mark Purslow was killed in a crash at Ballagarey near the end of the session.



Michael Sweeney and Sam West have both returned to the TT after crashes on day 2. Sweeney is riding again, and West expects to be later in the week. I haven't heard anything about Ilja Caljouw. Dave Moffitt is reportedly "serious but stable".

Practice resumes tomorrow. Watch it all live and on demand at ttplus.iomttraces.com

[s dime]

Killed in a crash? Terrible news, condolences.

What a crazy race, and event. The press release on the guardian states over 250 people have been killed in this race, or others on the course…

Practice continues…

[SKR]

Yeah it's the greatest race in the world, but it's also fantastically tragic.



Peter Hickman set a new fastest time for the week in Superbike at 133.220mph and Supertwin at 120.994mph, and still holds the fastest time in Superstock at 130.695mph. Michael Dunlop ran a 126.662mph lap to lead the Supersports. Also into the 130s, all in Superbike, are Dean Harrison, Davey Todd, Michael Dunlop and Conor Cummins.

Practice concludes tomorrow, and races starting Saturday with the Superbike and first Sidecar races.



Edit: I forgot to mention that the Birchalls led the Sidecars again. I like the Sidecars, but it's hard to get excited when the Birchalls have won 10 of the last 12, and the last 7 in a row.

[SKR]

Last night of practice in the books. A bit damp from Ramsey to the Gooseneck which led to lap times being down from yesterday. Michael Dunlop set a new fast time in the Supertwins class at 120.303mph. Glenn Irwin set his fastest lap of the week, 128.268mph, making him the third-fastest newcomer of all time behind Peter Hickman and Davey Todd.

Sidecars got fucked again. Practice started late due to a crash involving Mike Booth at Joey's, and then stopped for a water main break at Cronk-ny-Mona. Pete Founds and Jevan Walmsley led the one-lap practice session.


Michael Dunlop

Race schedule:

Saturday
1. RST Superbike TT
2. 3Wheeling.media Sidecar TT Race 1

Monday
3. Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 1
4. RL360 Superstock TT

Wednesday
5. Bennetts Supertwin TT
6. Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 2

Friday
7. 3Wheeling.media Sidecar TT Race 2
8. Milwaukee Senior TT

Watch it all live and on demand at ttplus.iomttraces.com. $32, includes interviews and behind the scenes action, and reviews from every TT from 2009 to 2019.

[SKR]

Oh, MotoGP is at Catalunya this weekend also. That'll be something nice to fill the gap between TT races on Sunday. I forgot about that. I'm very excited for the TT if you can't tell. This thread has a very misleading title recently.

Edit: And MotoAmerica is at Road America.

[shakalaka]

I need to watch a race one of these days and see if I get into it. What day and what race you suggest I look out for next?

[SKR]

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I need to watch a race one of these days and see if I get into it. What day and what race you suggest I look out for next?

For free you can get on youtube and watch the 2018 Senior TT review.



A regular (superbike) race is 6 laps and about an hour and 40 minutes. This is a condensed, 30 minute highlight version of it. 2018 had great weather all through the 2 weeks and new lap and race records were being set every race. The Senior TT is the last race of the week, the most prestigious, and in 2018 it was set to be the fastest ever as Peter Hickman and Dean Harrison tried to be the first rider to run a 135mph lap.

Edit: I've really got the TT on the brain. In case you mean MotoGP, here's the 2018 Dutch GP on youtube.



From the description:

100+ overtakes, six different race leaders and numerous faring-bashing clashes ��

A huge front pack battle from start to finish made this race in Assen an instant classic ⚔️ Enjoy it again now ��

[SKR]

Saturday's racing at the TT has finished. In the Superbike race, Peter Hickman led early and never looked back, finishing ahead of Dean Harrison and Michael Dunlop. Glenn Irwin finished 8th in his first ever TT, and set the fastest newcomer lap at 129.85mph. John McGuinness finished 5th in his 100th TT. Davey Todd was in second before retiring on lap 2 with another blown Dunlop tire on the ~190mph Sulby Straight. Todd had a blown tire at the North West 200 three weeks ago, and Dunlop asked its riders to pull out of the event due to tire failures, so hopefully this isn't something that continues. Some switched over to Metzelers, but switched back to Dunlops. That might be something to reconsider.



An awful TT for the Sidecars continues. After shortened or cancelled practice sessions, race 1 went today after the Superbike race but was red flagged minutes in after a crash involving Harry Payne and Mark Wilkes at Ago's Leap. It sounds like both are okay, but racing was stopped for the day. No word yet on when race 1 will be rescheduled to, or if it'll be cancelled.

Supersport and Superstock go Monday.

[SKR]

Unfortunately, what I posted earlier about the Sidecar race was not correct. Harry Payne and Mark Wilkes are indeed okay, but they weren't involved. Driver Cesar Chanal and passenger Olivier Lavorel, both newcomers to the TT, crashed at Ago's Leap. Lavorel was killed and Chanal was transported to hospital in critical condition.